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He took on the post of Catholic Primate at the age of 73 and was a surprise choice for the position, but became a prominent figure.

Cahal Daly was born in 1917 and was ordained as a priest in 1941.

He was appointed Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise in 1967 and installed as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate in 1990. A year later he was created Cardinal.

He retired in October 1996, when Cardinal Sean Brady took over the role, and returned to his study of philosophy.

Cardinal Daly was renowned for a being a prolific book writer and has had many philosophical papers published.

He was also highly regarded for his work with Irish Bishops on the New Ireland Forum in the 1980s and leading a delegation on the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation in the 1990s, both of which were set up to explore ways of ending violence in Northern Ireland.

It is understood Cardinal Daly was being cared for in the hospital's coronary intensive care unit at the time of his death.

Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister, who played a pivotal role in bringing about the Good Friday peace agreement in Northern Ireland in 1998, led the tribues to the Cardinal.

"Cardinal Daly's death is a real loss to the lives of the people of the island of Ireland," he said.

"He made a significant contribution to delivering peace as he worked to break down barriers between communities.

"His life is a real and lasting example of effective religious leadership working to build peace and resolve conflict in the most challenging of circumstances."

Irish Premier, Taoiseach Brian Cowen, said Cardinal Daly was a man of great intellect and humanity who had made a huge contribution to both the Catholic Church and civic society in Ireland.

"Cahal Daly was a brilliant teacher and academic," he said.

"Cardinal Daly was a trenchant supporter of peace. He was a member of the New Ireland Forum and later the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation.

"He was an outspoken critic of those who used violence to achieve political objectives.

"He gave strong backing to the emerging peace process in Northern Ireland and determinedly used his influence in every way he could to bring about a peaceful solution."

Shaun Woodward, the Northern Ireland Secretary, said: "The passing of Cardinal Daly will be deeply mourned by people throughout Northern Ireland. His life was and will remain an inspiration to so many."

The current Catholic Primate, Cardinal Brady, who visited Cardinal Daly in hospital, said: "It is difficult to do full justice to the significance and achievements of his long, full and happy life.

"But I believe, when fully assessed and appreciated, the legacy of Cardinal Cahal Daly to the ecclesiastical and civil history of Ireland will be seen as immense."

"An outstanding academic, Cahal Daly will always be remembered for the huge contribution he made to the developing of better relationships between the Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches," he said.

"His County Antrim roots, of which he was always proud, gave him a deep understanding of the essential part that Presbyterians have played in the history of our community, something he was always happy to explain to others."

He added: "Completely and totally opposed to violence, he was an outspoken critic of the armed campaign of the IRA and recognised that any future arrangements for the governance of Northern Ireland had to involve Unionist and Nationalist, Protestant and Catholic in order to create a community in which everyone could feel at home."